Customer Reviews

The Waiting Game

5 star:		(4)
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This is first-class singing of standards and new material that takes you back to the best. She may not be Ella or Carmen, but she's her own woman and a great singer.

This was the debut album of Britain's 90's jazz queen. Like all subsequent albums, the songs are drawn from a variety of sources, demonstrating that Claire has learned to enjoy many different types of music.

This particular album begins with You hit the spot (from 1936) and continues with Be cool (a Joni Mitchell song - Claire also included a Joni Mitchell cover on her 2002 album, Too darn hot, so obviously loves Joni's songs).

My favorite here is The key to your Ferrari. I think this song is meant as a joke - taken that way, it is quite amusing, although I'm sure Claire would be worth the price. The title track was co-written by Claire with her pianist, Jonathan Gee. Elsewhere on this wonderful album, there are excellent versions of Some cats (a Leiber/Stoller song best known via Peggy Lee's recording), This funny world (by Rodgers and Hart) and The people that you never get to love (also recorded by the late great Susannah McCorkle).

Claire's smoky, alto voice is the main attraction of this album for me, but she is backed by musicians of the highest quality who are allowed to show their brilliance via plenty of instrumental breaks between Claire's singing.

This was the first of many sensational albums by Claire (there were eight plus a best of at the time of this review). It has also been re-issued as part of the Linn box with her second and third albums - so you might consider buying the box instead of the three separate albums.

Anybody who enjoys modern jazz will just LOVE Claire's music.

Claire Martin is for my money Britain's finest, classiest jazzbird, and this 1992 album finds everything about her style in place. She chooses excellent, unhackneyed songs: she really makes a wonderful job of Joni Mitchell's wry "Be Cool", and nobody else that I can think of has ever recorded "It's Always Four A.M.".

Other great jazz songs like "If You Could See Me Now" and "Some Cats Know" are also ripe for rediscovery, and Claire's interpretations are knowing, subtle and deeply musical. She strikes an excellent balance between musicianship and reading a lyric, making this album an essential listen for fans of great singing and great songs.

The vagaries of the music business continue to amaze me, when a very fine, hardworking singer like Claire Martin can remain relatively unknown while other singers of less merit rise to superstardom. 'Twas ever thus!

This is a VERY intelligent sounding album by Claire. Perfect for a sunday afternoon with a glass of wine. My favorite song here "People You Never Get To Love". Wow, what a great song, and Claire sound sooo good singing it. A more intelligent reading you will NOT find. Claire sounds like she's reading really good book here and YOU will want to listen. Check this album out, I think you will find a great group of songs.